Ajvar Recipe (Not TNT)

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

 

I am very new and just starting to learn about the vegetarian thing. The

discussion on this topic interested me as I love peppers So I did a search

and came up with this recipe. It sounds really good and I thought I would

share it with you.

 

Tim

 

 

 

 

Ajvar (Roasted Red Pepper Spread)

Julia Mitric

 

 

The key to this recipe is not to be shy about blackening the skins of the

peppers. Underneath the blackened skins, the peppers

 

become tender and silky -- that's the secret to ajvar's distinctive texture.

 

Serves 6 to 8 as a starter

 

 

10 to 12 red bell peppers

 

1 large eggplant (roughly 1 1/2 pounds)

 

3 to 6 cloves of garlic, depending on taste

 

1/4 cup olive oil, divided; additional oil to finish dish

 

A few splashes of white vinegar

 

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Dried red chili flakes and basil leaves, optional

 

 

Preheat oven to broil. Halve each pepper, discarding stems and seeds. Place

peppers, cut side down, on an old baking sheet or one lined with foil.

 

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and score with a knife, drizzle it with

about 2 tablespoons olive oil and a little salt and place it on a second

baking sheet.

 

Place one of the oven racks roughly 3 to 4 inches below the heat; place

peppers on this rack. The eggplant should sit on a lower rack.

 

Broil the peppers and eggplant, turning the peppers occasionally until they

are well roasted on all sides, roughly 15 to 20 minutes. The eggplant may be

done first; if so, remove it and set it aside to cool. (You can also use an

outdoor grill to cook the peppers and eggplant.)

 

When you remove the peppers from the oven, place them in a bowl, sprinkle

them with a little water, and cover with a clean dishcloth.

 

This step steams and lifts the skins, making it easy to peel the peppers

once they've cooled. (Another method to loosen skins is to place the peppers

in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap until the peppers have cooled.)

 

Use an ice-cream scoop to remove the pulp of the eggplant, leaving the skin

behind. Discard the thickest seeds, but don't get nit-picky. Put eggplant in

a food processor with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 or 4 smashed

garlic cloves. Pulse the eggplant a few times so that it's chopped with the

other ingredients but not totally pureed. Remove the eggplant to a serving

bowl.

 

Once peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them with your fingers or a

knife. Add peppers to the food processor and pulse 5 to 8 times to chop

coarsely. Mix the peppers with the eggplant puree, season to taste with

salt, pepper, a splash of vinegar and a shake of dried chili flakes, if you

like. Smooth the surface of the ajvar with a spatula.

 

If you wish, garnish it with more finely diced garlic and a few scattered

basil leaves.

 

Serve ajvar with toasted bread slices drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled

with salt.